"To contemplate the truth and to share with others the fruits of that contemplation"

I took my personal retreat a couple of weeks ago on a gloriously warm and breezy day. Below is a reflection from that day, and I thought I just might be brave enough to share it with all of you. I hope you enjoy!

I was sitting in the woods on a breezy day contemplating the inevitable struggles of life. Just then, a strong wind burst, or rather, danced through the woods and the treetops wavered threateningly, banging their branches together as the trees themselves groaned mournfully from deep within. As my eyes moved from the treetops to the ground, they followed the trunk of a tree. I noticed how even though the light branches of the canopy swayed in the wind, the bottom of the tree remained motionless. It struck me that we are just like the trees. The winds of struggle inevitably visit us time and again, and it is the tallest of the tress that are most moved. Yet how can we grow so tall as to be pushed by the wind? How can we remain standing when the wind blows? We grow little by little, and slowly. In the time it takes to grow skyward, our trunks grow sturdier and we are also growing deeper, with our roots weaving their way through the soil. Christ is the ground. Christ allows us to grow and be strong. The deeper we grow in Christ, the taller we will be able to stand in the world. Yes, the winds will visit and shake us, but they will not bring us down. Trees do not fear the wind, for they know they can withstand it. Can we then, face our struggles courageously with deep faith, knowing that we will remain strong however relentlessly the wind blows? To be sure, the wind, rocking the upper limbs, vibrates down to our very core, but we remain standing. It is our faith that has saved us. We need Christ, who is our grounding, and we need our roots of faith in Him. We will stand.